Chapter 18
Justin, who met up with Nelson at Club Felicity, wasn't at all surprised to learn that Nelson had postponed the divorce.
"You stood her up at the courthouse that day because you were hesitant. Wasn't this incident a great opportunity for you to get to know Sabrina better?
"You wouldn't want to be laughed at for keeping up a paper marriage for three years, without once sleeping with your hot wife, would you?"
Cigarette between lips, Nelson glanced at Justin from across the poker table. "I don't want to be a laughingstock. How about you take up that 'great opportunity' instead?"
Laughing out loud, Justin remarked, "You wouldn't have been able to sleep with her if you didn't have an ounce of interest in her."
Falling silent, Nelson focused on the game of poker.
"Nelson, just get along with Sabrina. She's a decent woman."
Nelson arched his brow with complicated feelings. Snorting, he said, "Did you just call her a decent woman after she drugged me?"
"I don't think she'd ever do that." Ronaldo had trust in Sabrina's character. "Nelson, this must be a misunderstanding."
"And does that matter?" snapped Nelson. He'd play along if that was what she wanted.
...
Nelson stayed at Club Felicity until 10:30 pm. Tipsy and smoking a cigarette, he texted Sabrina, "Pick me up."
Sabrina, ready for bed, ignored his text.
Nelson, despite not knowing Sabrina well, seemed to have foreseen her reaction. He threatened, "Sabrina Wyatt, I would show up if I were you."
She instantly knew that he was threatening not to hand over the brooch.
Nelson was not a man of word. He stood her up at the courthouse. Therefore, she had all reason to suspect he might not fulfill his promise to hand over the brooch even if she picked him up from the club that night.
Refusing to allow him to threaten her with the brooch, she switched off her phone.
Resting on the couch in the private lounge, Nelson smirked when he did not receive a reply from Sabrina. He thought, "Sabrina Wyatt, you're really fascinating!"
The next day, Gerald showed up at Sabrina's lobby with two sets of breakfasts. Abigail nudged Sabrina when she saw Gerald's efforts.
Gerald said, "Sabrina, I bought some simple breakfast for you because I don't know what you'd like."
"I'm not a picky eater," she replied.
When she turned on her phone in the morning, she saw Gerald's text from 5:00 am informing her that he'd buy breakfast. He even inquired about her preferences. Gerald had indeed put in a lot of effort.
Sipping on pumpkin juice, Abigail answered, "Gerald, just avoid buying anything with pork fillings, and you're good."
Gerald took note of the reminder and ushered them into his car.
Mullenport wasn't crowded by the time they arrived. Gerald handed the ladies the hats and scarves he prepared. "I checked the weather. The sea breeze is strong today. Just wait around while I park the car." Abigail remarked to Sabrina, "You can certainly consider dating him. He's totally different from that jerk Nelson Tucker."
Sabrina nodded. "Yeah."
Due to the weather, seagulls gathered on the bridge at Mullenport. They flew low to the ground, circling the people, showing no fear of humans. Just like Gerald had described, the seagulls had gone crazy. Still, it was fun to play with the seagulls. Gerald handed Sabrina some breadcrumbs. She placed the crumbs on her palm.
Some bold seagulls would swoop down for the food, their long and sharp beaks softly scraping past her skin, tickling her, and eliciting laughter.
Gerald stared agape at Sabrina's beauty. She looked gorgeous and adorable in a white puffer jacket, paired with the bunny hat he had just offered her.
He was surprised by her youthful behavior in private, which was different from her serious persona at work. He couldn't help but take photos of her.
Although it was chilly in Mullenport, he felt relieved to see Sabrina laughing nonstop.
"Gerald, thanks for planning the trip. I'm really happy today."
He was delighted to hear the remark. On their way home, he selected two of the best shots of Sabrina and posted them to Instagram with the caption "my sweetheart". Nelson saw Gerald's post during lunch. He scoffed, "My sweetheart?"